Marriage Care

What Marriage Care does

Marriage Care is a UK-based Catholic charity founded in 1946 providing relationship counselling and marriage preparation across England, Wales, and Gibraltar.

Name

Marriage Care

Legal name

Catholic Marriage Care

Website

https://marriagecare.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marriage Care is a UK-based Catholic charity founded in 1946 providing relationship counselling and marriage preparation across 50+ centres in England, Wales, and Gibraltar, supported by ~500 volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Client Donations and Contributions: Marriage Care charges a £30 non-refundable registration fee for counselling services and requests a minimum £40 contribution per counselling session. Clients who can afford more are invited to make additional donations. The actual cost per session is approximately £90, with clients subsidising through their contributions.
2. Marriage Preparation Course Fees: Fixed fees for Preparing Together and FOCCUS marriage preparation courses. Fees contribute to costs of the day, resources, and behind-the-scenes facilitator training and preparation.
3. Charitable Donations and Fundraising: As a registered charity receiving no government funding, Marriage Care relies on donations from the public, Gift Aid contributions, legacy bequests, and general fundraising efforts to maintain services.
4. Relationship Counsellor Training Course: Diploma in Relationship Counselling course offered at a competitive price of £1,800 for those wishing to train as relationship counsellors through Marriage Care's programme.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marriage Care is a registered Catholic charity that provides relationship counselling and marriage preparation services. Services are delivered by professionally trained and accredited volunteers across 50+ centres and nearly 100 counselling venues in England, Wales, and Gibraltar. Delivery is available both online (via Zoom webcam) and in-person, with programmes including one-day workshops, personalised questionnaires, and brief interventions for specific life stages such as retirement.

Product overview

Marriage Care offers relationship counselling and marriage preparation services as a Catholic charity operating across England, Wales, and Gibraltar. The core offerings consist of Relationship Counselling (available online via webcam and in-person at local centres) and Marriage Preparation (including Preparing Together one-day workshops, Preparing Together Anywhere online group sessions, and FOCCUS personalized consultations). Additional services include the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity partnership programme providing free support to military personnel, Couple 50+ MOT for retirement transition support, Key Stage 3 relationship education resources, and the Two In One Flesh initiative with booklets and Scripture reflections. All services are delivered by trained volunteers with both online and in-person delivery options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FOCCUS: Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding and Study - a personalised questionnaire-based marriage preparation course
• Preparing Together
• Preparing Together Anywhere
• Couple 50+ MOT
• Two In One Flesh

Products and services

• Relationship Counselling Professional relationship counselling for couples and individuals experiencing difficulties, delivered by trained volunteers online (webcam) and in-person at local centres across the UK. Sessions cover communication, conflict, trust rebuilding, and individual support, with flexible fees so no one is turned away for financial reasons. Up to 18 sessions of 50 minutes each are available per client.
• Preparing Together A one-day marriage preparation workshop for groups of up to 12 couples, covering communication, negotiation, problem-solving, and family influences on relationships. Delivered in-person and particularly suitable for couples marrying in the Catholic Church. Holds the Imprimatur from Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
• Preparing Together Anywhere A three-session marriage preparation workshop for groups of up to 7 couples delivered via webcam over three weeks, covering the same relationship skills as the in-person Preparing Together course.
• FOCCUS Marriage Preparation A personalised marriage preparation consultation using the research-based FOCCUS questionnaire, comprising at least two one-hour sessions with a trained facilitator via secure video link. Available at a discounted rate when booked after a Preparing Together course.
• Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity Programme Free online relationship support sessions for Royal Navy, Royal Marines, and Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel and their families, covering communication, conflict management, intimacy, and deployment-related challenges. Delivered under the RNRMC Strengthening Families Programme.
• Couple 50+ MOT A brief face-to-face couple intervention programme promoting resilience during the transition to retirement, comprising an initial appointment plus up to three further meetings. Designed for couples aged 50 and over.
• Key Stage 3 Relationship Education Educational modules for Key Stage 3 students covering relationship topics, delivered as part of Marriage Care's Relationship Education Resources.
• Two In One Flesh An initiative exploring Christian marriage, including a 16-page booklet exploring why and how a Christian marriage is holy, Scripture reflections (the 'I Am With You' trilogy), and 'Marriage Matters' inspirational content for couples.
• Crisis Support and Helplines Support services for couples and individuals experiencing relationship crisis, providing immediate assistance, guidance, and onward referral as appropriate.
• Diploma in Relationship Counselling Training A training programme for aspiring relationship counsellors, comprising the Diploma in Relationship Counselling at a fee of £1,800. Includes residential weekends, accommodation, meals, travel expenses, supervision, insurance, and a 70-hour placement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 18 counselling sessions available per client
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2025Partnership as part of RNRMC's Strengthening Families Programme, providing free online relationship support sessions for Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel and their families. Sessions cover communication, conflict management, intimacy, and deployment-specific challenges.
• Relationships AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Relationships Alliance, a coalition of UK organisations providing relationship support services.
• Alliance of Catholic Marriage OrganisationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Alliance of Catholic Marriage Organisations (ACMO), working collaboratively to promote and support Christian marriage through shared resources, events and advocacy.
• CSAN (Catholic Social Action Network)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of CSAN, the Catholic Church's agency for social action in England and Wales.
• Your Catholic LegacyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with legacy giving programme for Catholic charities in England and Wales.
• FOCCUS Inc. (Archdiocese of Omaha)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLicensing partnership to deliver FOCCUS marriage preparation programme in the UK. Marriage Care has one of only four FOCCUS Super Trainers worldwide.
• Tavistock RelationshipsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partnership for Couple 50+ MOT programme; Tavistock Relationships offers the service online for clients unable to access Marriage Care's physical locations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BetterHelp: Large, well-capitalised online therapy platform offering individual and (limited) couples therapy via subscription. Broader incumbent with overlapping destination for relationship support clients, particularly younger and non-religious cohorts.
• Talkspace: Public US-listed online therapy platform offering couples and individual counselling on a subscription model. Represents the at-scale, technology-led competitor that could enter or imitate the UK relationship support market.

Regional players

• Relationships Australia: Federation of Australian relationship support organisations delivering counselling, education and family services comparable to Marriage Care's offering. Geographic peer operating in a different jurisdiction (Australia) but with highly comparable service mix.

Direct peers

• Relate: The UK's largest relationship support charity, delivering counselling, sex therapy, family mediation and education across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Direct peer to Marriage Care across counselling, training and education, but secular (non-faith-based) with government and local-authority funding.
• OnePlusOne: UK relationship research and support organisation producing evidence-based relationship resources and training for practitioners. Peer to Marriage Care's education, training and resource-development functions within the relationship support ecosystem.
• Care for the Family: UK family-focused charity running marriage preparation courses, parenting programmes and bereavement support. Direct peer in marriage preparation; Marriage Care's CEO Mark Molden was previously Chief Executive here, evidencing close operational overlap.
• Marriage Foundation: UK charity focused on research and policy advocacy around marriage and couple stability, providing education resources to couples and policymakers. Adjacent peer with overlapping education and prevention mission to Marriage Care's preparation work.
• Tavistock Relationships: London-based relationship counselling and therapy charity with clinical training heritage. Direct peer on couple counselling; Marriage Care itself refers clients to Tavistock for online delivery of the Couple 50+ MOT, evidencing direct overlap.
• Retrouvaille: Faith-rooted programme specifically for couples in distressed marriages, offering weekend-based support and post-weekend groups. Comparable niche peer to Marriage Care's relationship counselling for struggling couples, particularly the Catholic segment.
• Worldwide Marriage Encounter: Faith-based marriage enrichment and preparation movement present in many countries, delivering weekend retreat-style marriage preparation programmes. Direct peer to Marriage Care on Catholic/Christian marriage preparation internationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Marriage_Care
• Facebookfacebook.com/MarriageCare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marriage Care